BERLIN — Once known for housing one of the largest and most advanced industrial research laboratories in the country, the former Brown Company Research and Development complex on upper Main Street has not been used for more than two decades.
Founded in the early 1900s, the Brown research department was one of the earliest industrial research departments. It made major advances in pulp and paper manufacturing and commercial use of paper byproducts. Among the unique products developed there were paper towels, Bermico fiber piping, photographic papers, and Kream Krisp, a precursor to solid shortenings such as Crisco.
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